Oklahoma City is the 22nd-largest metro in the U.S., with more than 1.4 million people who choose to live here. One of the data points that really made our growth over the last decade tangible to me is when, as the assistant city manager, I led the redistricting for our council wards. It was a result of our population growth – 100,000 new residents in a 10-year period, one of the fastest-growing metro areas in the country. As I considered how to rebalance the population and n

The Oklahoma City Urban Renewal Authority recently issued two new requests for proposal for development of vacant land that will have significant impact on the continued development of Oklahoma City. One of the RFPs is for two tracts of land between NE Fifth and Harrison Avenue on the east and west sides of Walnut Avenue, behind the PLICO building. The property is in the Harrison-Walnut Urban Renewal Project Area and the RFP seeks commercial redevelopment that will contribute

Enjoy Oklahoma City’s (mostly) beautiful spring weather with some outdoor events that support local artists and merchants and promote a strong local community culture. Scissortail Park will host Allied Arts’ 50th anniversary every evening March 11 through April 10. “GLOW” is a free, outdoor event with two large, interactive works that will light up the night sky and encourage visitors to enjoy sound, light and music. In addition to the exhibition, Allied Arts will host a comm

Since this is my last column as president of the Alliance, I want to share what I believe has made this organization successful over the past 10 years and offer some advice on continuing our positive trajectory. Oklahoma City has never been afraid of bold vision. At inception, the Alliance was empowered, and my board of directors has supported, encouraged and at times defended me in identifying and supporting the economic development projects that I believed would be most imp